Filling device with automatic flow arresting means



Sept 10, 1957. L. A. CARRIOL 2,805,690

FILLING DEVICE WITH AUTOMATIC FLOW ARRESTING MEANS Filed June 23, 1954 INVEHTOR:

Laws Haws-r5 CARR/0L 2,805,690 Patented Sept. 10, 1 957 ice FILLING DEVICE WITH AUTOMATIC FLOW ARRESTING MEANS Application June 23, 1954, Serial No. 438,808

Claims priority, application France July 7, 1953 Claims. (Cl. 141-217) The present invention relates to a device for feeding liquid into a reservoir, wherein the feed is automatically stopped when the liquid in the reservoir reaches a certain level, hereinafter called the limit level.

According to the invention, a filling device with automatic flow arresting means responsive to the filling of a container up to a predetermined level comprises a valve disposed in a duct through which the liquid flows to the container, means controlled by an operator for opening the valve, and a piston associated with the valve and having a useful cross-sectional area larger than that of the valve, the pressure on the downstream side of the valve acting on one face of the piston in a direction to close the Valve and the other face of the piston being subjected to the pressure in a pipe one end of which projects downwardly into the container to the limit level whilst the other end opens into the duct at a point downstream of the valve.

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, which are given only by way of example:

Figure 1 shows a device according'to the present invention, and

Figure 2 shows a modified form of a detail of this device.

The device illustrated is arranged to control the filling of a tank 1 with liquid up to a limit level determined by the position of the end of a tube 9 dipping into the tank 1 and fixed with relation to the latter. The liquid coming from a feed reservoir 2 passes through a duct 19 into a valve box 3, in which there is situated a valve 13 fast with a piston 4, the useful cross-sectional area of the piston 4 being larger than that of the valve 13. The piston divides the box 3 into two' chambers 16 and 17. A spring pushes the assembly comprising the valve 13 and the piston 4 towards the position in which a seat 14 is closed by the valve 4. The face of the piston 4 exposed to the chamber 17 is continuously subjected to the action of the pressure obtaining at the beginning of a flexible pipe 5, which connects a tube 20 extending downstream from the box 3 to a tube 8 dipping into the tank 1, the flexible pipe 5 being connected to the tubes 20 and 8 at 11 and 12 respectively by suitable end fittings. The other face of the piston 4, exposed to the chamber 16, is subjected, through a duct 15, to the action of the pressure obtaining in a tube 6, 18 which connects :a point of the valve box 3 situated downstream of the piston 4 to the tube 9. The action of the said pressure tends to move the valve 13 away from its seat 14. A hand lever 7 is provided to enable the operator to force the rnovable assembly 4, 13 in the direction to open the valve.

The device illustrated in Figure 1 operates as follows.

In order to fill the tank 1 up to the limit level, the open end of the tube 9 is brought to this level, and the operator so actuates the lever 7 as to remove the valve 13 from its seat 14 despite the action of the spring 10. The feed takes place. When the tubes 5 and 8 are full, a negative pressure is set up in the chamber 17 of the valve box 3, whereby the piston 4 is maintained in the opening position and air is drawn from the tank through the pipes 9, 6 and 18. No negative pressure of any appreciable degree is set up in the chamber 16 of the valve box 3. The movable assembly 4, 13 therefore remains in the open position, the force of the spring 10 being insuflicient to close the valve 13. The operator then releases the lever 7, which will permit the subsequent closing of the valve 13.

When the level of the liquid in the tank 1 reaches the limit level, the lower end of the tube 9 is immersed. The air in the tank is then immediately prevented from entering the chamber 16, in which a negative pressure is produced. The forces exerted on the movable assembly then tend to bring it into the position in which the valve 13 is closed. As soon as the valve 13 is on its seat 14, the flow of liquid stops.

It is then possible to commence filling another tank by disconnecting the pipes 5 and 6.

It is to be noted that, while the fluid-tightness of the pipe 5 is necessary to avoid loss of liquid, that of the pipe 6 is even more important since the automatic stopping of the filling depends upon the fluid-tightness of the latter pipe.

If the pipe 6 were not absolutely fluid-tight, it would permit air to enter the chamber 16 even when the liquid has reached the limit level at the end of the tube 9, which would result in the tank overflowing. Now, it is difiicult to maintain fluid-tightness by means of a pipe which is frequently disconnected, while in addition an escape of air is more diflicult to detect than an escape of liquid.

In order to obviate this disadvantage, it is possible to dispose the pipe 6 within the pipe 5 as illustrated in Figure 2. In this case, the hose and fitting 12 must be modified to provide therein internal lugs 12a to locate and support the end of the tube 6. The tube 8 connected to the tank 1 then also comprises internal lugs 8a to locate and support a tube 9a fast with the tube 9. The tube 8 has a discontinuous shoulder Sb to enable the hose end fitting 12 to be held in position by means of a bayonet joint. A similar arrangement is provided in the upper part to enable the pipes '5 and 6 to be joined to the valve box 3 and to the tubes 18 and 15.

Under these conditions, not only is the admission of air into the pipe 6 prevented, but the use of the device is facilitated by a reduction in the number of parts to be connected to the tank 1.

The invention is not limited to the examples described. Thus, for example, the tube 18 may be omitted and replaced by a hole formed in the piston 4 and connecting the chambers 16 and 17.

What I claim is:

1. A flow control device comprising, in combination, a casing; fluid pressure responsive motion transmitting means in said casing and separating the same into first and second pressure chambers, said motion transmitting means having first and second pressure faces in said first and second pressure chambers, respectively, and being adapted to move relative to said casing toward said first chamber when the pressure in said second chamber exceeds the pressure in said first chamber; fluid inlet and fluid outlet means in communication with said first chamber; valve means for controlling the flow of fluid through said fluid inlet and movable relative thereto between open and closed positions, said valve means being connected to said motion transmitting means and movable therewith toward said open position when said motion transmitting means moves toward said first chamber, said valve means being urged to its closed position; and conduit means having an open end and in communication at its other end with said first and second chambers whereby when said valve means is in its open position fluid may flow through said fluid inlet means, said first chamber and said outlet means and a gaseous medium in said second chamber exerts a greater pressure therein .thanthe said fluid flowing through said first chamber exerts therein thereby maintaining said valve means in its open positionduring the flow of the fluid through said first chamber against the action of the force urging said valve means to its closed position and whereby when said open end of said conduit means isobdurated thereby blocking the free ingress of gaseous medium into said conduit means gaseous medium is sucked out of said second chamber until the pressure in said second chamber is such that said valve means is permitted to be moved to its closed position under action of the force urging said valve means to its closed position.

2. A flow control device as defined in claim l wherein said fluid pressure responsive motion transmitting means is a piston member slidably arranged within said casing:

3. A flow. control device comprising, in combination,

a casing; fluid pressure responsive motion transmitting means in said casing and separating the same into first and second pressure chambers, said motion transmitting means having first and second pressure faces in said first and second pressure chambers, respectively, and being adapted to move relative to said casing. toward said first chamber when the pressure in said second chamber exceeds the pressure in said first chamber; fluid inlet and fluid outlet means in communication with said first chamber; valve means for controlling the flow of fluid through said fluid inlet and movable relative thereto between open and closed positions, said valve means being connected to said motion transmitting means and movable therewith toward said open position' when said motion transmitting means moves toward said first chamber; biasing means for biasing said valve means to its closed position; manually operable means for moving said valve means to its open position against the action of said biasing means; and conduit means having an open end and in communication at its other end with said first and second chambers whereby when said valve means is in its open position fluid may flow through said fluid inlet means, said first chamber and said outlet means and a gaseous medium in said second chamber exerts a greater pressure therein than the said fluid flowing through said first chamber exerts therein thereby maintaining said valve means in its open position during the flow of the fluid through said first chamber against the action of said biasing means and whereby when said open end ofsaid conduit means '4 be moved to its closed position under the action of said biasing means.

4. A flow control device as defined in claim 3 wherein said open end of said conduitmeans is arranged in the region of a receptacle to be filled with the fluid flowing through the conduit in such a manner that when the fluid in the receptacle attains a predetermined level the fluid will contact said open end thereby obdurating the same and blocking the free ingress of gaseous medium into said second chamber through said conduit means and consequently causing the cessation of fluid flow into the receptacle.

5. A flow control device comprising, in combination, a casing; fluid pressure responsive motion transmitting means in saidcasing and separating the same into first and second pressure chambers, said motion transmitting means having first and second pressure faces in said first and second pressure chambers, respectively, and being adapted to move relative to said casing toward said first chamber when the pressure in said second chamber exceeds the pressure in said first chamber; fluid inlet and fluid outlet means in communication with said first cham ber; valve means for controlling the flow of fluid through said fluid inlet and movable relative thereto between open and closed positions, said valve means being connected to said motion transmitting means and movable therewith toward said open position when said motion transmitting means moves toward said first chamber; and conduit means having an open end and in communicationat its other end with said first and second chambers whereby when said valve means is in its open position fluid may flow through said fluid inlet means, said first chamber and said outlet means and a gaseous medium in said second chamber exerts a greater pressure therein than the said fluid flowing through said first chamber exerts therein thereby maintaining said valve means in its open position during the flow of the fluid through said first chamber against the action of the force urging said valve means to its closed position and wherebywhen said open end of said conduit means is obdurated thereby blocking the free ingress of gaseous medium into said conduit means gaseous medium is sucked out of said second chamber until the pressure in said second chamber is such that said valve means moves to its closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,550,738 Payne Aug. 25, 1925 1,725,826 Payne Aug. 27, 1929 2,402,036 Giger June 11, 1946 2,686,626 Slattery Aug. 17, 1954 

